All Who Wander
by LunaMarr
Summary: Before the Curse, there was a man looking for a heart. A happenstance meeting between Red Riding Hood and Victor Frankenstein. Request for ColdAsSnow


Request for: ColdAsSnow, who asked for a meeting in the enchanted forest between Red and Victor, with some gloom and drama.

I tried my best, I hope you like it dearie! ^^

~O~

Victor huffed in annoyance as he walked through yet another spiderweb, sputtering like a mad man as he attempted to fish the translucent web from his disorderly hair and mouth. He threw a scowl at the large translucent strands descending from the treescape above teasingly, their slim-bodied inhabitants nowhere in sight. As fascinating as this Land with Color was, Victor couldn't help but feel rather annoyed with his cheery environment. He came to a pause when the trees opened up to reveal a small clearing, a large decaying log becoming his new place of rest. The sun had been high in the sky during the majority of their journey, and now it was beginning to wane, casting elongated shadows across the ground. The undying heat however did not tire, and the strange shadows were seemingly darker than those of his home. With a sweaty huff he lugged his bag of equipment over, placing it upon the log and working his fingers into his high collar. The heated environment was much unlike that of his own land, and his clothing of choice was ill-suited and ultimately did little but give him grief in the humid forest. With the back of a gloved hand he wiped the sweat from his pallid forehead, flippantly flicking a growing mushroom from his sight.

He had lost the Mad Hatter. He wished he could say his guide had been disorienting, or at least inconsiderate of his duty, but the man had been very clear to Victor about keeping up.

"_This forest is huuuuge, whatever you do, do not wander off, because it won't be easy finding you again."_

Victor winced in recognition, frustrated at his own stupidity. With his case strewn over his arm, and his sketchbook carefully positioned in one hand, he had followed after the Hatter at a distance, sketching each and every sight he could so that he might remember it clearly when he returned to his land. He recalled his fascination as a blood-red butterfly, with delicate wings tipped with black had landed mere feet from his shoulder, beating newly born wings against rough bark. He gaped at the creature, not because he had never seen a butterfly-no, there were a plentiful amount come spring back home-but because he had never noticed how stunning the amiable little creatures could be. He sketched the creature with every detail he could spare, seconds spanning into minutes, and it wasn't until he looked up that he realized that his guide was nowhere in sight. Curse it all! He regarded his journal with a raised eyebrow, the corner of his lips turning into a frown. For a genius he could be quite the idiot at times.

Victor licked his lips, feeling their dryness and unknowingly clenching his fists. He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking with silent rage. Gerhardt was awaiting in back in the castle, wasting away each second Victor didn't return to place the source of this expedition in his brothers chest. Gerhardt was the stronger of the two brothers, stronger, braver, _normal_. He had to survive. His looks, though distorted in death resembled that of their father, possibly the reason Alphonse favored Gerhardt between the two boys. Victor, with his sallow skin, lanky hair and pale eyes was the spitting image of their late mother, something the always caused Alphonse pain when he glanced at his eldest son. Understandably, there was little affection between the pair, and Victor turned to intellectual endeavors for his escape. He would bring his brother back, to make up for his own stupidity, and perhaps in doing so he would prove to his father that his experiments were worth his time and money. There was no other option. With a breath of release he opened his eyes and was surprised to find the sun had near set, and he shivered at the thought of the moon rising, the only thing that remained the same between his world and this Land with Color. He listened to the sounds of crickets in the distance, dining himself to await the Hatter's return. To his dismay he could feel his eyelids growing heavy and after several minutes of fighting he allowed the lids to close. He would only rest for a short moment.

"Excuse me, sir?"

With perhaps the most womanly startled shriek he could muster, Victor toppled over the back of the log, his arms wind milling like a maniac. With the forest scene now upside down in his eyes, his body slighter sorer and something unbearably stiff jammed into the tender spot between his rib and spine, Victor felt fluid rage flow through his weary limbs. With an exhale of anger he wrenched himself into proper sitting position, his legs still strewn over the log, and pointed a finger accusingly at the menace that caused his humiliation.

"I beg your pardon, but you imb-" Victor's jaw dropped at the sight before him. For the love of science, but she was beautiful. She looked out at him from under a blood red cloak, red as the butterfly he catalogued, the length of it falling to the forest's leaf littered ground and shielding the majority of her form from his greedy vision. Her skin radiated with a soft light despite the darkness, her bright green eyes watching him curiously. Her oval face was twisted into a look of concern, for him.

_Oh!_

He scrambled to correct himself, rising to his full height and pulling his coat into its proper place, puffing out his chest as he did so. He stiffened his back, straight as a lightning rod, and bowed his head to her.

"Good evening, Miss."

She burst into laughter, her graceful hand trying to smother the giggles that forced their way from her pert lips. Victor's formal posture dissolved into one of embarrassment as he watched her, his mouth gaping exasperatedly.

"What, if I may ask, is so funny?" His accented voice inquired pleadingly to her laughing form. She looked at him, shaking her head as she did so, before pausing to reach up and pluck something from his hair. He gasped as she held a large, fuzzy and fattened little creature in his vision, before letting it climb onto a low lying branch. He quickly ran a hand through his pale hair, shaking loose several leaves but blessedly no more insects.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she queried, her eyes watching him intently.

He turned to look at her, holding her gaze.

"What gave me away?" Her gaze darted to his leather bag before returning to his, the green irises questioning. He smirked, pride marking him as he straightened his back and patting the old sack.

"I've come from a land far from here, in search of something necessary to my work," Victor struggled to phrase his next words carefully. "However I seem to have misplaced my guide." He swallowed embarrassedly, his adams apple moving against his tight collar.

"You mean you haven't a place to stay for the night?" Her voice was suddenly panicked, one hand reaching out to touch his arm worriedly. He felt his ears burn uncomfortably hot.

"No, but I'm sure I'll be alright-"

Suddenly her arm was looped in his, pulling him towards a trail through the trees.

"You can't stay here, it's not safe!"

He gripped his bag tightly in one hand, trying gently to pull her to a stop.

"I apologize, but I must wait for my guide, it is of the upmost importance that-"

"You don't understand!" Her voice suddenly barked, her eyes pleading. "It's not safe, tonight is the first night of the full moon. If you stay out here the wolf will kill you!" She returned to her method of pulling him along, directing him down the trail and toward a dull gleam of golden light that pierced the trees. Whatever this wolf was, it must have been something serious. He allowed her to lead him out of the forest, and he involuntarily gaped when he saw the cottage. It was utterly warm and inviting, and a large plume of smoke carried the smell of cinnamon and sweet bread from the chimney. Without realizing it he stepped closer.

The woman laughed, walking in front of him before turning.

"I'm Red by the way, and if Granny asks I found you while I was going to fetch water for the night."

Victor swallowed, nodding before suddenly remembering his manners.

"Victor." He offered her. For an unknown reason she smiled, before she plucked a bucket from beside the door and knocked loudly.

"Granny, it's me, Red?" The door opened to reveal a plump woman, tinier in stature to Red, her green eyes calculative. Her gaze met his and for a moment Victor wondered if the woman would beat him away from her granddaughter with a broom.

Thankfully she seemed to decide on a different course of action.

"And who is this you brought with you?" She reached out and poked him in the stomach, giving him a small jump of surprise. "Looks like a pole if you ask me."

"_Well she didn't ask you." _ Victor thought with annoyance. He opened his mouth to speak but Red cut him off before he could.

"This is Victor, he's traveling and he needs a place to stay for the night." Red's sweet voice seemed to soften the old woman, and before he knew it he was lead inside, and was sitting in a by a warm fire in a wooden chair drinking cinnamon tea. Red and Granny were setting the table, once in a while Red would look up at him through her lashes, turning his face red as her cloak, and then Granny would throw him a glare so frightening he would blanch all over.

Granny left the room to begin shutting all the windows, and Red came to sit next to him. There was no sign of a man in the house, and Victor wondered if she was even accustomed to seeing to seeing the opposite sex. He imagined her grandmother kept her wrapped up like a treasure, shooing away the boys that might come to the window to catch a glance of the beauty. The thought made his tea burn when he swallowed harshly.

"Everything all right?"

"Fine." He croaked. She blinked, her green eyes watching him before returning to the fire, the light dancing across her features and causing Victor to stare.

"Eh-hem." Victor jumped when Granny cleared her throat, the shutters all closed and bared. "You two going to eat or do I have to write you a invitation?"

Supper was wonderful, warm and tender and full of flavors that didn't exist in Victor's land. Without realizing it he wolfed down his stew and bread, the steaming food hitting his empty stomach delightedly. He reddened when Granny spooned him more soup, only looking up to nod his thanks.

"How anyone so skinny can eat so much is beyond me." Granny called from her face from the fire. Victor flushed and kept his gaze on the dishes, having shed his coat and pushed up his sleeves to reveal his toned forearms. He passed a dish on to Red where she dried it before placing it in the cupboard. A memory of his mother flashed before his eyes, her tinkling blue eyes when she sat him on the counter as she washed her favorite cup, and a tear escaped his eyes and fell into the dishwater without anyone's notice. Granny cleared her throat, walking to the fireplace and pulling out a thick wooden divider. She left with the wooden board in hand and beckoned for Red. Before leaving she placed a basin of warm water on the table along with a pitcher and a cloth.

"So you can wash up." He accepted the basin with gratitude and quickly washed himself, pulling his clothes back on faster than he thought possible. Placing his vest with his coat and folding the garments into his bag he turned just in time to see Granny slip back into the room.

"You." She mouthed, her finger pointing condescendedly. He didn't notice the crossbow until she pulled it up to her chest, and with a gasp he scrambled for cover. She rolled her eyes, waving off his actions before sitting herself by the fire. She adjusted the seat until she faced the wooden door, a bar already in place. She pulled a silver bolt into the bow, cocking it back in place. "I see the way you look at her," she nodded to the door, where he assumed Red slept. He opened his mouth to counter her accusation but she waved him off. "I don't want any funny business from you, _Doctor_. I expect you to be a gentleman." He blanched, eyes wide that she knew of him, before he nodded obediently.

"I will be."

He crept into the room quietly, not wanting to wake her if she slept. He paused when he saw her form, obscured by the quilt, the gentle rise and fall of her chest signaling her sleeping state.

"You're an awful faker."

Her laugh was quiet, but it was enough to make him smile as he slid into the divided side of the bed and from her field of vision. They lay in silence for several minutes, before Victor spoke up.

"So, Red?"

"Hm?"

"It doesn't suit you." He heard her roll over, no doubt lying on her back and frowning at the ceiling as she contemplated his statement.

"I've worn a red cloak every day since I can remember, and you say Red doesn't suit me?"

He nodded drowsily, thinking to himself. He could imagine her eyes, twinkling with mirth and curiosity.

"Red…it doesn't define you. You're something more…something rare." His words were whispered, but he was sure he heard them. He felt the tendrils of sleep pulling him down, and he knew come morning he would likely have no time to speak with her again before he returned to the forest. Suddenly he recalled the large glittering jewel Rumpelstiltskin had worn around his throat, the way it caught the light and glittered.

"You're like a gem…a Ruby."

_Ruby…she liked the sound of that._

~O~

I tried my dear, so sorry about wait! 3 Let me know if it's alright, I will be happy to rewrite it!

Did you know that in the past, it was common to share beds with travelers? People would take wooden boards fitted to a bed and separate it, this way it was impossible for a person to see, touch, or reach a person while they slept. It was considered common to share your bed, especially since only the rich had spare rooms. Today this is less common, but you can still find dividers if you know where to look :)


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